Typewriting-machine



.L. F. MESSENGER.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY.9, 1919.

1,3 2,33 1 v Patgnted Dec.14 ,1920.

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L. F. MESSENGER.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9. 1919.

Patnted Dec. 14,1920.

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Ll A N HL D 9 A no LY .l 19. v 1,362,338. Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

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7%l aw PATENT OFFICE.

LEE r. MESSENGER, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, assienon T0 mvnnnwoon TYPEWRITER COMPANY, or nEw'YoaK, n. 'Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWBITING-MAGHINE.

Application filed July 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, LEE F. MESSENGER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriting m'a-' chines of the variety set forth in the patent to \Vernery and Smith, No. 1,132,055, dated March 16, 1915, in which work-sheets or printed forms may be fed to the machine in succession as elements of a fan-fold Web, or as superposed plies of separate web, which may be led into the machine and passed downwardly, forwardly, and up around the revoluble platen, and in which carbons may be interleaved between the eltypewriting can be done upon either set of webs, at will, and, for this purpose, it has been the practice to provide carbon-carriers which are readily detachable from the machine, so that, when it is desired to stop typing on one set of webs, it may be removed from the machine, together with the associated carbon-carrier, and the other carboncarrier with the other set of webs may be placed in the machine to receive the typing.

One of the objects of the present invention is to facilitate writing alternately upon each of a plurality of web sets: and to avoid the cumbersome mechanism and slow and awkward operation of removing the carboncarriers with the webs from the machine and replacing them therein from time to time, as required.

To this end, I provide a plurality of web sets and lead them into the machine, side by side, and. provide a plurality of carbon-carriers, arranged side by side, but each movable forwardly and, backwardly, independently of the other. From the carbon-car rie'rs the web sets extend forwardly side by Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1920.

1919. Serial No. 309,677.

side, to and around the platen which is split or made in separate sections, one for each web set, so that each section may be rotated independently of the other.

The typing of either web set may proceed to any desired extent while the other web setaemains unused; and, at any time, the split platen may be shifted up to straighten out the web sets, to permit either or both 7 carbon-carriers to be moved backwardly, to shift the carbons into unused portions of the web sets. As soon as the typing of one form is completed upon one web'set, the same may be torn off or severed by means of the usual knife which may extend along the entire a split platen.

The line-spacing of one section of the platen may be effected by line-spacing mechanism such as is usually employed for a complete platen. The line-spacing of another section of the platen may be effected either by a hand-wheel or by any suitable l1ne-spacing-lever mechanism, and the usual ratchet-wheel and spring detent therefor may be also provided.

While the invention is not limited as to the width of the web or of the independent carbon-carriers, and while the split platen may be of double the ordinary length, if desired, so that web sets eight inches in width or more may be run through the machine, sideby side, independently, still the invention is found especially useful for relatively narrow webs, if provided with correspondingly narrow carbon-carriers, and with a split platen the combined length of which is about the length of an ordinary platen used for commercial oflicepurposes. When such narrow webs are used, the web-spools may be of so little weight that a number of them may be employed Without liability of faulty line-spacing, since there is sufficient tractive power in the combined platen section and feed rolls to pull the webplies from their respective spools without liability of slipping between the feed-rolls and the platen.

In the form of the invention illustrated herein, there is carried around the left-hand platen section a fan-fold web, consisting of three plies, in connection with a single web from a spool; the plies of the fan-fold web may comprise printed forms, whereas the single web may be of plain paper and useful for keeping a continuous record of the pages which are typed upon the fan-fold web,

There is also shown, as herein illustrated, a set of webs running around the right-hand platen section, consisting of four plies drawn from four spools.

' As a support for the carbon-carriers, two narrow trackways are extended from the rear of the typewriter carriage in place of the single wide trackway which is commonly used for the usual single carrier. The rear ends of the'carbons are attached toblades which are sufiiciently short to permit the blades of one carrier to pass by the blades of the adjoining carrier. The paper rolls may be about three inches in width, and the carbon-carriers and platensections of proper dimensions to accommodate the narrow webs fed therefrom.

If a line-space-lever is provided for the right-hand platen section, it must, like that for the left-hand platen section, be such as to permit the platen section connected there with to be displaced so that the webs may be straightened out and adjusted and the carbon sheets drawn back, as heretofore described. For this purpose, the line-space mechanism of the right-hand platen sec tion may be in all material respects similar to that of the left-hand platen section.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of parts of a typewriting machine with my invention ap plied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, parts being shown in section.

' Fig. 3 is a detail view, showing the platen in its normal position and also in a shifted position, in which the work-sheetsmay be straightened out for the purpose of posltioning the same and readjusting the carbonsheets.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of one of the carbon carriers used as a part of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a truck for the carbon-carrier illustrated in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of parts of the typewriting machine with my invention applied thereto. 1

In the particular embodiment ofthe invention herein disclosed, the reference character 20 represents a part of the ordinary letter-spacing carriage of an Underwoodtypewriter mounted for endwise movement along afront bar (not shown) and a rear bar 21 (Fig. 6). Within this carriage I mount, in place of the usual single platen, a split platen comprising two separately rotatable elements 22, 23., each provided with separately rotatable front and rear feed-rolls 24, 25, said feed rolls being appropriately mounted in the letter-spacing carriage.

The platen sections 22, 23 are mounted in a shifting frame comprising end-supporting neeaaae bars 26, each plvotally connected at one end so as to be rotatable about a bar or shaft 27 fixedly secured at its ends in the letter-spacing carriage 20. Connecting the supporting bars 26 is a cross bar or plate 28, which normally extends upwardlyand rearwardly from a line materially above the writing line of the platen, thus affording a front paper guide or table for the typewritten work-sheets.

Each of the platen sections 22, 23 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 29, one end of each of said shafts being journaled in the adjacent one of the end-supporting bars 26, and the other end being journaled in a bracket 30, which may be secured to the under side of the connecting bar or table 28 of the platen-shifting frame.

The platen-shifting frame 26, 28 is normally held in the position illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 6 by latches 31, 32 fixedly secured to a bar 33 journaled in the letterspacing carriage. Each of said latches normally engages a laterally projecting pin 34 carried by the adjacent supporting member 26, which is provided with a leg or stop member 35 abutting against the bar 33 which thus determines the normal posi tion of the platen-shifting frame. The latches 31, 32 may be normally urged to their effective positions by springs 36 coiled about the bar 33, each having one of its ends secured to a neighboring part of the platen carriage and the other of its ends secured to a collar fast upon said bar. One of the latches, as, for example, the left-hand latch 31, may be extended so as to constitute a handle or thumb-piece 37 by which the latches may be shifted backwardly to release the pins 34, after which the shiftable platen frame and the platen sections mounted therein may be displaced from the position illustrated at 38 in Fig. 3 to that in dicated at 39 of the same figure, for a purpose which will hereinafter be explained. One of said latches may be also provided with an extension or toe 37 by which the. movement due to the efl'ort of the springs may be duly limited on release of the latches after shifting the platen frame. This latching means for the platen-shifting frame is more fully disclosed in the patent to Jesse A. B. Smith. No. 1,280,886. dated October 8,1918. I

, Each platen-section is provided with line spacing mechanism, whereby it may be rotated independently of the other. As a means for line-spacing the left-hand platenv section 22, the usual line-spacing mechanism of the Underwood typewriter,'comprising the line-space lever 40, ratchet wheel 41, detent 42 and other parts. may be employed. The ratchet wheel 41 is not. however. directly secured to the platen section, but is" fixedly secured upon a shaft 41*, journaled in the letter-spacing car-. riage .and upon which is also fixed a gear wheel 43 in mesh with a pinion 44 journaled on the shaft 27. The pinion 44 is also in mesh with a gear 45 secured to the shaft 29 of the platen section 22. The usual I fixed to a shaft 49, journaled in the letterspacing carriage, and having secured thereto a gear 5Q1in mesh with a pinion 51 journaled on the shaft 27.' The pinidn 51. is also in mesh with a gear 52 secured to the shaft 29 of the platen section 23. This linespacing mechanism for the right-hand platen section 23 may be operated by a hand-wheel 53 of the usual type, or'by a line-spacing mechanism similar to that controlled by thelever 40, illustrated in connection with the left-hand platen section. i

It will be apparent from the above description that each. platen section may be line-spaced independently of the other, and that the line-spacing mechanism is such as to preserve the driving relation from each mechanism to its respective platen throughout the displacement of the platen from its normal position to that illustrated at 39 in Fig. 3.

As a means for guiding the webs of forms or work-sheets after passing the printingline at the front of the platen and for facilitating the introduction of new webs, the machine may be provided with the usual deflector plate 54 operated by a mechanism controlled by a handle or thumb-piece 55 in a manner fully illustrated and described in said Smith Patent, No. 1,280,886. The upper edge of the deflector plate 54 may be sharpened and used as a knife 56 extending along both platen sections, so as to be available for severing the used portion of the webs when desired.

At 57 is represented the usual paper-guide extending downwardly and forwardly from a cross-bar 58 of the letter-spacing carriage 20. For each of the platen sections there may also be provided an end sheet gage 59 of the-usual type, which may bevadjustably secured to a bar .60, extending upwardly and rearwardly from the table 28, by nfeans of a set-screw 61. Each'platen section-andits associated parts may also be provided with the usual marginal gages and other accessories common to typewriters of the prior art. f

As a means for supporting the carboncarriers and for guiding webs of forms or work-sheets to the typewriter, I provide a frame comprising rearwardly-extending tracks 62 and cross-bars 63 and 64, said frame being secured at its forward end to the cross-bari58 of the platen carriage, and being provided at or near its rear end with rollers 65 to run on a track or bar 66 whereby said frame will be caused to move from side to side of the machine with the letterspacing movements of the typewriter carriage. Each of the carbon-carriers 67 may be provided with a truck 68 having grooved rollers 69 to run along and be guided by the tracks or runways 62; and the carbon-carriers may be detachably secured to their respective trucks by means of'attaching pins or lugs 70, which may be passed through openings 71 in the trucks, said pins having grooves 72 therein to be engaged by locking levers 73.

Each of the carbon-carriers is provided with a plurality of fingers 74 to which carbon sheets may be attached in any appropriate manner. These carbon-fingers mm be detachably secured to their respective carriers by means of stepped supports 75, 76, the alternate fingers being attached at their ends at different elevations, so as to extend from the alternate sides of the carriers. I thus provide for interleaving carbon sheets from the opposite sides of a fan-fold web,

' such as that illustrated at 77 in Fig. 6.

Each of the carbon-carriers may also be provided with a forwardly-extending handle or thumb-piece 78, whereby it may be moved back'to draw the carbons to an unused por tion of the webs of work-sheets, as will hereinafter be more fully described. The carbon-carriers of the type herein illustrated and briefly described are fully disclosed in the patent to B. P. Fortin, No. 1,237,319, dated August 21, 1917.

The machine thus far described is adapted for use when writing upon forms or work- A sheets, which may be fed to the carboncarriers, and thence to the platen sections in a continuous succession, either in the form of separate webs 79, as illustrated in connection with the right-hand platen section (see Fig. 6), or in the form of a fan-fold web 77 of two or more elements, with or without additional sheets in the form'of one or more single webs 7 7*. As herein disclosed, the right-hand section of the machine is illustrated as being supplied with four separate webs 79 su plied from rollers or spools 80, and the le t-hand section of the machine is supplied with a fan-fold web 77 of three elements and a single .web 7 7 supplied from a spool or roller 81. p

0 set up the work upon the machine, the webs are first led side by side from the spools or rollers to their respective carbon-carriers. The carbon-sheets, attachedto or held by the fingers of the carbon-carriers, are interleaved with the webs of Work-sheets or forms which are then fed beyond the shaft of bar 33, thence to a point below the respective platen sections and beyond the feed-rolls 24, 25, while the platen is in its shifted position. The platen will then be returned to its normal position, after which, by manipulation and it is desired to remove the same from the machine, the shiftable platen frame 26, 28 is released from the latches 31 by means of the handle 37, and the platen is shifted to the position indicated at 39, Fig. 3. At this time, the end-sheet gage will assume the position also indicated in Fig. 3. The webs of forms or Work-sheets may then be straightened out and drawn forwardly to any predetermined position, as determined by the appropriate setting of the end-gage. While firmly holding the webs with their ends against the gage, as indicated in Fig. 3, the

carbons may be moved back to an unused portion of the Webs by means of the handle 78. The platen-shifting frame may be returned to its normal position, carrying the webs of forms therewith, after which the typed forms may be severed by means of the blade 56 at the upper edge of the deflector plate 54.

It will be apparent that the typing may be effected on the sets of webs fed to either of the platen sections at will, and that either set may be line-spaced independently of the other. Moreover, on shifting the platen sections to the position indicated at 39 in Fig.

3, either set of webs may be drawn forward to the proper position for severing a set of forms, and its interleaved carbons drawn back to an unused portion of the set of webs, without in any manner disturbing the adjustment of the webs of the other set which may be restored to their original position relative to the platen when the platen frame is returned to normal position. I thus provide a simple and practical device for writ ing upon different forms in alternation in such manner as maybe desired, and for removing typed portionsv of either set and rearranging the interleaved carbons therefor independently of the other set.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used'without others.

aeaeas Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriter, in combination, a lettar-spacing carriage, a platen section mounted therein, means associated with said platen section for guiding and feeding work-sheets with respect thereto, and means for varying the relative positions between said platen section and parts of said guiding and feeding means, so as to ease said sheets and -thus permit one or more to be shifted relatively to the others, said'platen section being ne of a plurality mounted in said carriage and which have means for independently guiding and feeding work-sheets with respect thereto.

2. In a typewriter, in combination, a letter-spacing carriage, a plurality of platen sections therefor, means for mounting said platen sections in said carriage so as to be capable of having independent line-spacing movements imparted thereto, and means to cooperate with said platen sections for feeding work-sheets across a printing line, the said platen-mounting means including means for shifting said platen sections to positions free from parts of their respective feeding means, so that work-sheets fed to any platen section may be freely adjusted independently of sheets fed to any other of said platen sections.

3. In a typewriter, in combination, a letter-spacing carriage, a platen section mounted therein, means to cooperate with said platen section for guiding and feeding worksheets relatively thereto, said platen section being shiftable with respect to parts of said feeding and guiding means to ease said sheets and thus permit one or more to be shifted relatively to the others, a. line spacing mechanism mounted in said letterspacing carriage, and means-for effecting a driving connection between said linespacing mechanism and said platen section and for maintaining said connection throughout the shifting thereof, said platensection being one of a plurality mounted in said carriage and which have means for independently feeding and line-spacing worksheets across a printing line.

v 4. In a typewriter, in combination, a leting said platen sections to positions free from parts of said feeding means, so as to permit free adjustment of work-sheets. fed

to any platen section independently of sheets fed to any other of said platen sections, 'se"parate line-spacing mechanisms mounted in said letter-spacing carriage, and means for effecting .independent driving connections between said line-spacing mechanisms and the respective platen sections, said connections being such as to maintain the driving relation throughout the shifting of said platen sections away from parts of said feeding means.

5. In a typewriter, in combination, a letter-spacing carriage, a platen section mounted therein, means associated with said platen section for guiding and feeding work-sheets and one or more interleaved carbon-sheets relatively thereto, means for varying the relative positions between said platen section and parts of said guiding and feeding means, so as to ease said sheets and thus permit said carbon-sheet or sheetsto be retract-edTelatively to said work-sheets, and a carbon shifter to so retract said carbonsheet or'sheets when thus permitted, said platen section being one of a plurality mounted in said carriage and which have means for independently guiding and feeding work-sheets with respect thereto.

6. Ina typewriter, in combination, a plurality of separately rotatable platen sections, a letter-spacing carriage therefor, means in cooperative relation wlth sald platen sections for feeding work-sheets.

across a printing line, means for disabling the effective feeding relation between said platen sections and parts of said feeding means, so as to free the sheets fed'thereby, and a separately movable carbon-carrier for each of said platensections, whereby a plurality of work-sheets and one or more terleaved carbon sheets may be fed to any of said platen sections and adjusted with respect thereto independently of sheets fed to any other of said platen sections.

7. In a typewriter, in combination, a le ter-spacing carriage, a platen section mounted therein, means associated with said platen section for guiding and feeding worksheets and one or more interleaved carbon-sheets in a tortuous path thereabout, said platen section being shiftable, with respect to parts of said feeding and guiding means, to allow said sheets to be straightened out sutficiently for feeding work-sheets across a printing line, the said platen-mounting means includ capable of having independent line-spacing movements imparted thereto, means to cooperate with said platen sections for feeding work-sheets across a printing line, the said platen-mounting means including means for shifting said platen sections to positions free from parts of their feeding means, so that worksheets fed to any platen section may be freely adjusted independently of sheets fed to any other of said platen sections, and a separate end gage for each of'said platen sections for determining lengthwise adjustment of sheets fed to each platen sec tion independently of the other.

'10. In a typewriter, in combination, a letter-spacing carriage, a plurality of platen sections mountedtherein, means for guiding and feeding sets of superposed work-sheets relatively to the respective. platen sections, and means for varying the relative positions between said platen sections and parts of said guiding and feeding means, so as to ease said sheets and thus permit one or more of a set to be shifted relatively to others of the same set.

respective platen sections, said platen sections being shiftable, with respect to parts of said feeding and guiding means, so as to ease said sheets and thus permit one or more of a set to be shifted relatively to others of the same set, line-spacing mechanism mounted in said letter-spacing carriage, one for each of said platen sections, and means for effecting independent driving connections between said line-spacing mechanisms and their respective platen sections, said connections being such as to maintain the driving relation throughout the shifting of said platen sections.

12. In a typewriter, in combination, a let tor-spacing carriage, a plurality of platen sections mounted therein, means for guiding and feeding sets of work-sheetsand interleaved carbon-sheets relatively to the respective platen sections, means for varying the relative positions between said platen sec; tions and parts of' said guiding and feeding means, so as to permit said carbon-sheets to be retracted relatively to said work-sheets, and a plurality of carbon shifters, one for each platen section, for retracting the carbon-sheets interleaved between each set of work-sheets independently of the others.

13. In a typewriter machine, in combination, a letter-spacing carriage, a plurality of independently rotatable platen sections mounted therein, means to cooperate therewith to feed work-sheets and one: or more interleaved carbon-sheets around each of said platen sections, and a plurality of devices, one for each of said platen sections, for effecting independent shifting of the carbon-sheets relatively to the work-sheets fed to the platen sections, said platen sections being displaceable to positions such as v to ease said sheets to permit such shifting.

14. In a typewriter, in combination, a letter-spacing carriage, a plurality of platen sections mounted therein, means for guiding and feeding sets of work-sheets and interleaved carbon-sheets in tortuous paths about said platen sections, said platen sections being shiftable with respect to parts of said webs of work-sheets and one or more interleaved carbon sheets into the machine and around said platen section, so that the normal course of said sheets is tortuous, of means for displacing said platen section, so as to allow said sheets to be straightened in said carriage.

bon sheet or sheets to be shifted relatively to said work-sheets, said platen section being one of a number mounted end to end in said carriage and which have means for independently line-spacing said sheets with respect to a printin line.

16. The combination with a letter-spacing carriage, of a plurality of independently rotatable platen sections mounted end to end therein, means for separately guiding superposed webs of work-sheets and interleaved carbon sheets into the machine and around said platen sections, so that the normal courses of said sheets are tortuous, and means for displacing said platen sections, so as to allow said sheets to be straightened out to a suflicient extent to permit said carbon sheets to be shifted relatively to said work-sheets.

17. In a typewriter, in combination, a platen frame, a pair of separately rotatable platen sections mounted end to end in said frame, a letter-spacing carriage therefor, a supporting bar extending parallel with the platen axis and forming part of the means whereby said frame is mounted in said carriage, saidframe being capable of being swung about the axis of said bar to displace said platen sections, a pair of line-spacing mechanisms, one for each of said platen sections, each of said mechanisms comprising a gear mounted on one of said platen sections and concentric with the axis thereof, a gear mounted in said'carriage, and a connecting gear journaled on said supporting bar, whereby each line-spacing mechanism may independently operate its respective platen section and each remain in cooperative relation therewith during the shifting thereof LEE F. MESSENGER.

Witnesses:

A. R. KING, J. W. CoUsE. 

